Poor sheep, poor Piper, poor me ...

A look is worth a thousand words. What do I even need to say about this picture? Except that my niece is adorable. And her mother, the photographer, is a genius, or at least really really lucky to have captured this shot.

To answer the obvious: My niece is standing beside an oddly sheared sheep because (insert drum roll, please) ..... The mutton-bustin' is coming up at the Guadalupe County Fair & Rodeo, of course! And Piper and all her cousins are entered. Come on, really, it would be embarassing if they they took off out of the gate in their helmets and flak jackets, looking like little PBR bull riders, and fell off in two seconds. They need to make a decent showing. There's money or scholarships or maybe a savings bond at stake. Not to mention family pride. You can tell how well I have paid attention to the details, eh? Could this be any more redneck?

To get ready, Paw-Paw had to buy a sheep so they all could practice. I know, this really isn't what I had in mind for my precious, girly daughters. So I let loose a trial balloon to guage interest and they were totally excited. It stressed me out in more ways than one. I'll just leave it at that.